Yarianna Martinez

Focus on Athletes biographies are produced by the IAAF Communications Dept, and not by the IAAF Statistics and Documentation Division. If you have any enquiries concerning the information, please use the Contact IAAF page, selecting ‘Focus on Athletes Biographies’ in the drop down menu of contact area options.

Updated 23 August 2007

Yarianna MARTINEZ Iglesias, Cuba (Triple Jump)

Born 20 September 1981, Pinar del Rio; 1.67m, 56kg

Manager: Javier Sotomayor/Jesús Molina

Coach: Daniel Osorio

Yarianna Martinez Iglesias is of one of the seven Cuban women recording their World Championships debut in Osaka. Like many Cuban athletes, Martinez took up the sport at an early age, at 11, in her native city of Pinar del Rio, the most western Cuban province. Physical education teachers discovered her talent for the jumps and she soon began to excel at the national level.

Martinez embraced the Triple Jump at the age of 14 (12.18), improving to 13.03 by 2000 to join the national junior team. Two years later, she made a breakthrough with a 13.90m leap and took silver medals at the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships and the World Junior Championships, behind her compatriot, Mabel Gay.

Trying the Long Jump for two years, Martinez set a best of 6.25 in 2003.

Back with the Triple Jump, she improved to 13.96 in her last season as a junior and to 14.10m in 2004, but failed to make the Olympic team.

In 2005, she finally enjoyed her first international victory, winning the Triple Jump at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Nassau. A year later, she improved to 14.28 and claimed the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Under-23 gold in Santo Domingo.

In 2007, Martinez has made a huge progress, with a PB 14.61m leap in Jamaica, She has been consistent over 14.20 in her first European tour and finished her preparations for Osaka with a bronze medal (14.25) at the World University Games, in Bangkok.

These performances earned Martinez a place in the Cuba team ahead of training partners Gay (2007 Pan American Games bronze medallist) and Yusmay Bicet (2004 Olympic finalist). In Osaka, she hopes to join her compatriot Yargelis Savigne (2005 World Championships runner-up) in the final and then target a top eight finish.

Career Highlights

2002 2nd Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships2002 2nd World Junior Championships2005 1st Central American and Caribbean Championships2006 1st NACAC Under-23 Championships2007 3rd World University Games

Focus on Athletes biographies are produced by the IAAF Communications Dept, and not by the IAAF Statistics and Documentation Division. If you have any enquiries concerning the information, please use the Contact IAAF page, selecting ‘Focus on Athletes Biographies’ in the drop down menu of contact area options.

Updated 23 August 2007

Yarianna MARTINEZ Iglesias, Cuba (Triple Jump)

Born 20 September 1981, Pinar del Rio; 1.67m, 56kg

Manager: Javier Sotomayor/Jesús Molina

Coach: Daniel Osorio

Yarianna Martinez Iglesias is of one of the seven Cuban women recording their World Championships debut in Osaka. Like many Cuban athletes, Martinez took up the sport at an early age, at 11, in her native city of Pinar del Rio, the most western Cuban province. Physical education teachers discovered her talent for the jumps and she soon began to excel at the national level.

Martinez embraced the Triple Jump at the age of 14 (12.18), improving to 13.03 by 2000 to join the national junior team. Two years later, she made a breakthrough with a 13.90m leap and took silver medals at the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships and the World Junior Championships, behind her compatriot, Mabel Gay.

Trying the Long Jump for two years, Martinez set a best of 6.25 in 2003.

Back with the Triple Jump, she improved to 13.96 in her last season as a junior and to 14.10m in 2004, but failed to make the Olympic team.

In 2005, she finally enjoyed her first international victory, winning the Triple Jump at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Nassau. A year later, she improved to 14.28 and claimed the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Under-23 gold in Santo Domingo.

In 2007, Martinez has made a huge progress, with a PB 14.61m leap in Jamaica, She has been consistent over 14.20 in her first European tour and finished her preparations for Osaka with a bronze medal (14.25) at the World University Games, in Bangkok.

These performances earned Martinez a place in the Cuba team ahead of training partners Gay (2007 Pan American Games bronze medallist) and Yusmay Bicet (2004 Olympic finalist). In Osaka, she hopes to join her compatriot Yargelis Savigne (2005 World Championships runner-up) in the final and then target a top eight finish.

Career Highlights

2002 2nd Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships2002 2nd World Junior Championships2005 1st Central American and Caribbean Championships2006 1st NACAC Under-23 Championships2007 3rd World University Games